Ash, full name Ashlere, was a baby when Delia and Ryan adopted her. With outstandingly beautiful brown eyes and shiny jet black hair, she made the Ketchum couple pour all their love on her. She also has a pair of sideways lightning-shaped birthmarks underneath her eyes.
Her life was normal and enjoyable; kindergarten, friends, a good neighbourhood… The image broke when she was four years in age, that storming night of her birthday took away everything and informed her the next morning.
"I'm terribly sorry, but are you Mrs Ketchum? Wife of Ryan Ketchum?" The officer's voice questioned, she was hiding behind the wall and her mother.
"Yes, I am." Delia nodded.
"I'm terribly sorry, but… Your husband… he died by slipping off the cliff on the road back to Pallet." The officer paused since Delia was paler than a sheet of paper, but he went on anyways. "When his body was found, he was still clutching onto his bag, his bag that contained your daughter's birthday present."
Ryan was worried that Delia and Ash would be worried about him, so he sped up his pace of arriving home as much as possible. He was going too fast and his feet eventually surrendered, causing him to slip off the cliff; the way he was clutching onto his bag… even in a situation that would cause his death, he protected an inanimate object so Ash won't be sad when she receives it to find it broken.
Delia managed to bid farewell to the police and close the door. As she slowly sat onto the couch, she snapped into tears and sobs.
Ash shifted from her spot and stopped in front of her caring mother, she placed her tiny hand onto Delia's knee only to earn a harsh slap across the cheek.
"It's all because of YOU!" She screeched. "YOU!"
She dropped back down and continued to sob, forgetting that she too, was worried sick last night and blamed everything onto the child she and her beloved husband had cared for as soon as she turned up on the doorstep.
Ash lowered her head and bit her lip to not make any sound while Delia beats her; mommy is just too shock, she just needs to release herself, everything would be alright.
It was never alright afterwards. Every time Delia sees Ash, she was reminded of Ryan and would always beat her up with no apparent reasons; sometimes light, sometimes severe.
Ash would sneak out at night when she can, the forest was extremely dark and scary, but she found it to be oddly calming and comfortable.
One night, as she was sitting underneath a grant oak tree, hugging her knees and listening to the night in silence, she heard an out of tune rustle; it felt close by and then faraway, and then close by again, repeating itself without a rhythm.
Ash hesitantly stood and limped towards the tall bushes. She navigated through them without a sense of direction and spotted a light, multiple lights actually.
Sneaking more cautiously, Ash noticed that the light holders were chasing a tiny person; even though the person was tiny like a five years old, they were extremely fast. (Who wouldn't be fast in a life or death situation?)
Watching for a while, Ash prepared her body. Left! Dashing in that direction, Ash came face to face with them. Right before she was in sight of the flashlights, she picked up the person and snuck into the leaves again.
"Gah, where is that thing?!" One adult growled.
"We NEED to find it, Arceus knows how rare that Ralts is!"
What's a Ralts? The thought skidded through Ash's panicking mind, so the tiny child wasn't a human but a pokemon! The people, which she can confidently determine as illegal Pokemon Hunters, were in arm distance of her.
They wandered aimlessly around, but never too far away. Ash gritted her teeth and began to crawl insanely fast on the ground with the not surprisingly still Ralts.
Risk it for the biscuit. Faster and faster her limbs moved, farther and farther away the hunters were.
"HISS!" Ash dug her nails in her fists, there was a bloody thorn near her and it sliced opened her arm injury. Since Ash had an icy heart, she never bothered to wear extra clothes; they also limit her movements, but tonight they seemed to give her a painful reminder as to why she should bother.
"WHO'S THERE?!" The leader yelled.
Suddenly, Ralts jerked out her arm and appeared in the concentrated light. Balls of shadows and glowing leaves were fired from her and the hunters were all hit!
They were dead, but their gashes still bled furiously. Ralts turned and started to walked towards Ash.
Thanks to the light, Ash can see Ralts clearly. Snow white skin, maroon bowl cut, silver… are those horns? Umm, and a light, greyish mauve dress.
The bush was held up by psychic and revealed how bloody Ash became. Ralts held its tiny nub-hand up and pressed it against Ash's hand that was trying to prevent her arm from further bleeding.
A dim and full of life green glow illuminated the surrounding area for a few seconds before the healing process was over.
Sliding off her cleaned hand, Ash started at her perfectly sealed up skin.
"That was awesome, thank you for healing me." Ash smiled.
Ralts smiled back before dropping unconscious; the smile gone and her body lifeless.
Ash gasped, Ralts must be immensely tired, yet she helped her… Picking the little fellow up, she raced to Professor Oak's lab. He must have some method of healing!
Oak was doing night study when he heard the door being knocked. Such late hour, but nevertheless, Oak opened the door to see the tilting figure of Ash still holding onto Ralts.
"Oh my! It's a Ralts!" No a surprising statement from Oak. "Quick, child, come in!"
As Ralts was healing, Oak and Ash stood by and watched the data filling into the machine.
"Interesting," the old man mused. "Ahh wait, I forgot to ask you your name. What is it, child?"
"It's Ash." A blank and quiet reply like always; the life of abuse and bullying because of Ryan made her that way.
"Oh yes, Ryan's daughter." Oak nodded and went back to the screen, not one bit bothered and began to point. "You see, the reason why this Ralts is interesting is because, look! … The stress level is too high for her to be conscious. A strongly willed young lady indeed. And here, this shows that Ralts have all the normal D.N.A yet her colouration was never seen before."
Oak explained everything to Ash and she was surprising taking everything in. There were days where Ash would lie in bed for the entire night not sleeping, but never before was she using energy and staying awake.
"So she originated from the Hoenn Region…?" Ash questioned.
"Well, Ralts can also be from the Kalos and Sinnoh Region. Those hunters must've been very desperate of getting her though, it's a far distance from either or region." Oak answered.
Ralts awoke at the crack of dawn, surprising Oak at her speed of recovery. He was talking to Professor Birch, Professor Rowan, and Professor Sycamore about her with Ash listening from beside.
"You're awake." Ash blinked. "How are you feeling?"
A small nod, that means good?
"Ralts, which region do you come from? Hoenn, Sinnoh, or Kalos? These three are the professor of the two regions respectively, they'll help you back home." Oak stated.
"I want to stay here, with the hatchling." Ralts has a telepathic voice resembling a ghostly lullaby, deep and soothing, feminine and clear.
"You speak?" Ash tilted her head a bit. "And who's the hatchling? Do you have more friends out there?"
"The hatchling is you!" She replied swiftly and monotonously. "I have no friends, but you seem to accept me, so I'll be your friend."
"Friend…" Ash muttered barely audibly. Is this Ralts being serious?
"Uhh, Sycamore, Birch, what do you two think?" Oak asked.
"What I want is none of you human's business! I want to stay, and that's FINAL!" Ralts ordered wildly like a spoiled queen.
The three professors were fearful and mortified, and so Ralts and Ash quickly left with the human apologising sincerely.
On the way back to the outskirt of Pallet Town, Ash looked at Ralts who was walking beside her.
"Ralts, do you want a name?"
"Very well, Ash. And I'm sorry if I had frightened you in the lab." Ralts replied.
"Okay, do you have any specific meaning you want in your name?"
"No, but I don't mind one."
"Mmm… how about, Reina?" Ash smiled nervously. "It means queen."
"Queen… Elegant and loving, bleh!"
"A queen is also powerful and dangerous, Ralts." Ash added. "She has the power of her country, its army and system; the power of wits, creating strategies and solution, and the hearts of men, dazzling and breathtaking, striking when they're entirely in and no way to leave."
The words didn't meant to spill out of Ash's mouth that way, but for some reasons, it tasted pretty good on her lips. Ralts was also intrigued, Reina… Reina… Yes, she will be called Reina from now on and till the end of the universe.
My name is Reina, and I will forever be loyal to you, my young mistress and puppeteer of the world. Ralts observed Ash as they closed in the distance to her house. Images of her stepping confidently, having a royal dominance aura, and standing at the very top showered her vision.
Reina found herself willing to obey Ash like a angel's tamed demon; she'll do anything for her.
This is the story of Ash.